More Than Just Breakfast
by safiriamatai
Summary: When Haymitch invites Katniss over for breakfast, all the pieces cascade into place, making it impossible for Haymitch not to wish that it was possible for him to give Katniss his love.
1. Breakfast

Would you look at that, I got sucked into writing Hayniss again! This pairing is really starting to wreak havoc on my heart... Well, I suppose I'll live long enough to give you a nice, _long_ Hayniss fic. Warning: Both Haymitch and Katniss are a _bit_ OOC, but its fanfiction, that kinda tends to happen sometimes. Now, I give to you the first installment of my dear 'More Than Just Breakfast' (I know, a bit of a cheesy name.)

** Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games (As much as I wish I did) They belong to Suzanne Collins.**

Katniss sat on her bed, waiting for the next earth moving event. It seemed that they always came, and as she was sure a new one would come sooner of later, she decided she would just wait. She had been sitting here for three full days, waiting for something. But what? What was it that was coming? She could feel it in the air, that slight buzz in the air that told her that something was going to happen. She didn't know what it was, but the first tiny pieces of this event had just begun falling into place, starting with Haymitch Abernathy stumbling out of bed.

When Haymitch woke up, it wasn't exactly what you would call graceful. This was mostly owed to the fact that he usually fell asleep drunk, and rarely ended up in his bed. Last night, he had managed to make it to his bed, and he only had a minor headache this morning. As he slid out of his bed, he looked outside at the snow that had collected outside, turning the victors village into a snowy winter scene that most people would have called 'Pretty' Haymitch however, simply looked outside without much emotion, watching Peeta shovel snow from around the door, clearing a space so he could at least step outside. Haymitch looked over to the house that Katniss would undoubtedly be in, and he saw her face in the window. It was long ago when Haymitch had realized that he could see directly into Katniss's room, and as she rarely pulled the drapes, he often saw her going about her life as normal. Some nights, when the moon was bright, he could see her sleeping form wrapped up in blankets on her bed. Some nights, when she couldn't sleep, she would pull a chair up to the window and look out at the sky or down at the sparkling snow on the ground. Haymitch had watched her do all these things, never telling her, only watching.

Haymitch saw her now, sitting cross legged on the bed, simply looking outside. At this moment, the next wave of pieces began falling into place, because Haymitch decided that he would invite her to breakfast. He went to his closet, searching for acceptable clothing without much luck. Finally, he found a nice pair of gray slacks with only a few wrinkles, and a clean, white button down shirt. He glanced in the mirror and managed to rake his fingers through his hair enough that it only looked slightly mussed. He nodded and continued downstairs. He pulled the phone from its hook and called Katniss's phone, praying that she was the one to pick up, not her mother, or god forbid Peeta had made his way over there. It was indeed Katniss who picked up the phone with a "Hello" That was tinged with sadness. "I wanted to know if you would like to come over for breakfast" Haymitch said, rubbing his eyes with his hands, cursing himself for sounding so formal and idiotic. "Sure! I'll be over in a bit" Then she hung up. Haymitch looked from the window and saw her sliding off the bed and crossing to the other side of the room where he couldn't see her. He assumed she was getting dressed, as he saw several rejected articles of clothing go flying across the room. Haymitch chuckled then went to the kitchen to see if he was actually capable of cooking something edible.

Katniss stood with her back to her now emptied closet, staring at the pile of clothes she had rejected. She didn't know why she was stressing over this, but from the was Haymitch had sounded on the phone, she had a feeling that this was more than just breakfast. This was more than just breakfast? Gaah, she sounded like one of the capitol people, seeing a simple invitation to breakfast as something more. This was only breakfast with Haymitch, something she had done a hundred times. Still, she had never gone by formal invitation, it was usually that she and Peeta just showed up and started eating his food. She groaned and set aside her inner turmoil so she could dive back into the pile of clothing looking for something to wear. She finally settled on a pair of tight fitting white leather pants and a simple silvery shirt that flowed around her like water. After she pulled her hair back into a loose braid, she looked in the mirror, added a dash of red lipstick and nodded. She continued downstairs, calling out to tell her mother that she was going to Haymitch's for breakfast. She hurried out the door, anxious to see Haymitch. She would normally have barged in, yelling to him that she was here, or she might just go right in and make herself at home. Today was different, because even though she didn't realize it, all the pieces were falling into place.

She knocked and Haymitch called to her to come in. She went in, feeling a bit silly for knocking when she knew that Haymitch wouldn't care if she just barged in. She followed the smells of burnt food, and found Haymitch in the kitchen, surrounded by food that looked only vaguely like food. Haymitch had turned the kitchen into a warzone, creating so much of a mess that Katniss just had to laugh. "What're you laughing at!" Said Haymitch indignantly, though he was laughing too. "I guess I got a bit ambitious" He said as they began to quiet down. Katniss looked around and shook her head, smiling at Haymitch when she glanced up at him. "Alright, let me help" She said, still laughing. She grabbed a clean bowl from the cupboard and cracked several eggs into it, only getting a few shells in it. She was pushing the eggs back and forth in the pan, scrambling them with a hand used to the simple motions. Katniss was no cook, but she could at least make semi-edible eggs. As she pushed the eggs out of the pan and into two plates, she glanced up at Haymitch who had simply leaned against the counter so he could watch her work. The look of amazement on his face when she pulled the minimally burnt slices of toast out of the oven was quite amusing. "Its just toast and eggs" She said, smiling at Haymitch's expression. "You're amazing" He said, taking the plates and carrying them to the table. Even though she knew he probably only meant the food, the tone he said it in made her feel that he was talking about more than just her minimal cooking skills.

They sat across from each other, eating in awkward silence for a few minutes before Haymitch said "So, how's the family?" He said it in such a serious voice that Katniss could only laugh. They laughed for a moment, all awkwardness forgotten, then carried on with their usual chatter, talking about Katniss's family, the weather, anything that happened to come up was immediately latched onto and talked about. Katniss didn't realize it, but she finally felt at home, sitting here and talking to Haymitch. The way his mouth pulled up at the corners when she said something funny, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking. It was a look of sadness, a look of a man who has lost something very dear to him. A man who wants something that he knows he can never have. He wanted her, and she had to admit, she wanted him. This was Haymitch, and she knew he was nothing more than her mentor and friend. She knew that however much they wanted each other, it could never be. She looked up at him with a matching face, full of sadness and longing. He gave her a small smile, a sad smile. A smile that made Katniss's heart break, for it seemed to say "Well sweetheart, you know this can never happen" Suddenly, she began tearing up. She raced out the door and back to her home, not even looking back when Haymitch threw open the door and raced after her. She ran to her room, locked the door and threw herself, facedown on the bed. A few minutes later, she heard Haymitch gently knocking on the door, asking her to come out, then a bit later, her mother came up, doing the same thing. Finally, even she was gone. Leaving Katniss to cry in peace.


	2. I'm So Sorry

**Arrgh! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, I've been resting after the evil monster that is NaNoWriMo. I know this is a bit short, but believe me when I say that the next chapter will be a nice LOOONG one! Please consider posting a review or sharing your ideas for where this story could go in the future. Reading all your reviews gives me this giant goofy grin and I end up just sitting here re-reading them all the time :) In case you were wondering, I don't own The Hunger Games. Yeah, I know, such a shocker, right?**

Haymitch stared through his bedroom window and into Katniss's. She was still laying on the bed, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed into the pillow. How could he have been so stupid? He took another swig from the bottle of white liquor in his hand as he watched her lying there. He stood, yelling, swearing, hitting and kicking at the walls, cursing everything he had ever done to make her cry. Why had he invited her to breakfast? He knew that she was too young and he was too old, that no matter how much he cared, he was old enough to be her father. He had been selfish, he had wanted to see her laugh, to see her smile. It hurt to see her over there, crying her eyes out while Haymitch sat here, unable to comfort her. He wanted to pull her to his chest, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to go over there right now, to break the door down and take her in his arms. He knew he couldn't, Katniss's mother wouldn't approve, not to mention Peeta. Within an hour, he would have everyone who cared for Katniss kicking down his door, vowing to kill him. He looked back up to her window and saw her sitting in a chair, looking right back at him.

He could barely see her face, but could tell that she was looking straight at him. She pulled her knees to her chest and laid her head on them, still staring at him. He looked at her, hardly daring to breathe. After a few moments, she stood, crossed the room, and unlocked the door. When she came back to the window, she looked back to him, making it clear that he could come over now. He didn't waste a moment, he ran out the door, across the lane and into her house. Prim and her mother had left a few hours earlier, going into town together as they often did. Haymitch made his way up the stairs, out of breath from the run. He paused a moment to collect himself, then quietly opened the door to Katniss's room.

Her face was worse than he had expected. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks tearstained and her hair a mess. He took a breath, hating himself for doing this to her. "Katniss… I'm…" He couldn't find the words to tell her how sorry he was, how much he hated watching this, how much he wished he could take it back. "Katniss, I'm so sorry" Her lip began to tremble, then she buried her face in her knees again, trying to hide the tears. Haymitch knelt in front of her, taking her hands and begging her not to cry. Finally, she looked up at him with wet eyes. "I don't want you to be sorry" She said "I want you to love me, to stay with me." She saw the look in Haymitch's eyes that clearly told her she couldn't, and the tears came again. This time, she didn't let them stop her. She simply stood and said "I've always loved you. I don't care how old I am, I don't care what anyone thinks, all I care about is you!" Then she collapsed on the bed, curling up with her back to Haymitch. "If you don't want me then just leave." she said sadly, voice thick with tears.

Haymitch looked at her, not sure of how to respond. He did want her, he wanted to go to her, to hold her, to tell her that he loved her! He just couldn't let it happen. He was twice her age, he was an stupid drunk with a stupid heart. How could he have let himself fall in love with Katniss!? Katniss who had to be with Peeta, who could never leave Peeta! He rubbed his hand over his face as though he could wipe away everything that had happened. "Katniss" He said quietly. "You have no idea how.. How much I care… I just…" He sat next to her on the bed, putting one hand on her shoulder. She turned over so she was looking at him and she simply looked into his eyes with so much sadness, so much pain. She sat up, bringing her face closer to Haymitch, eyes slowly closing. Even though Haymitch knew that he couldn't let it happen, even though he was trying with every fiber of his being to pull away, he still leaned into the gentle kiss. Their lips connected, and it seemed like the whole world vanished. It was only a small kiss, their lips barely touched, but it was enough for both of them. They had both given in, knowing that after this, there was no way either of them could ever want someone else. Haymitch raised a hand to Katniss's face, stroking a tear from her eye before pressing his forehead against hers. She reached up and put one hand in his, marveling at the feeling of his rough hand in hers. They sat like this, hardly daring to move, until the door flew open.

Katniss's mother had come home. She had opened the door to see how Katniss was, but instead, saw her pressed against a man twice her age, holding his hand. She dropped the basket she was carrying, alerting Haymitch and Katniss of her entrance. They looked up in unison, staring at her with matching pairs of fearful gray eyes.


	3. You're Mine

**Do you hate me?  
Please don't hate me... I know I've been gone for a long time, BUT I'm back now! I know this is only a tiny chapter, but I thought you would prefer this to no new content at all. I'm starting on chapter 4 right now. I'll hopefully have it up in a few days, depending on my schedule and whether or not I die of feels. However, one thing is certain. I, AM, BAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKK! ((No, I did not aquire any rights to THG during my hiatus. I'm not that lucky))**

For a woman who rarely raises her voice or speaks out against anything or anyone, Katniss's mother had the art of speaking menacingly down to a science. The growl that she gave when she opened the door was enough to make Katniss nervously squirm, trying to come up with a convincing lie to explain what was going on here. When she realized that she couldn't talk herself out of this, she resorted to stony faced silence. She didn't care what her mother thought, if she and Haymitch wanted to be together, nobody would keep them apart.

Honestly, Katniss's mother took this all surprisingly well. Though she did express her disapproval, and warned Haymitch to be good to Katniss, she didn't really protest their relationship. She knew that Katniss wouldn't take kindly to being forced to stay away from Haymitch, and if her mother tried stopping this relationship, Katniss would probably end up doing something crazy to keep her mother from interfering. Thus, with a sharp glance at Haymitch, she pulled the basket back up to her hip and walked out, closing the door behind her.

A unanimous sigh went up, the letting out of a breath that had been help practically the whole time. Katniss swiveled her head to look up into Haymitches eyes, questioning him silently, watching him, waiting for the verdict. He looked at her for a moment, then let out a sigh and turned his eyes towards the heavens, as though begging them to preserve him. "Well sweetheart" with a resigned voice, "I guess you're stuck with me." He looked back to her, a smile playing around his lips. "If You'll have me that is" He added, a trace of worry crossed his face. She finally let the mask break. The mask that she wore to cover everything she ever felt, the mask she had worn since the day her father had died down in the mines. "I'll have you every moment of every day, Haymitch Abernathy." She pulled him close and let her lips find his in a slow, careful kiss. "You're mine" He smiled back at her. "And you're mine"


	4. Enter the Fear

**Another chapter! Yayyyyy! I know its a little off, but trust me. I'm going somewhere with this.**

**No, if you were wondering. I'm not currently the owner of that wonderful thing they call "The Hunger Games" (Though I feel kinda sadistic about calling it wonderful when its actually a bunch of kids getting killed...)**

It was late, the last rays of the setting sun had dwindled away into darkness, leaving the skies dark and cold, the stars slowly coming out, like the lights of heaven showing through pinpricks in a cloth of black velvet. There was a tiny lawn behind Haymitch's house, amazingly well kept for a man who is perfectly fine with living in filth. It was here that they had lain, watching the clouds, then the colors of the sunset, and now, the stars appearing.

They had quietly left the house after being discovered by Katniss's mother, simply walking across the courtyard and into Haymitch's house, where they has sat at the table, discussing what they would do from here. There was the fact that she was supposedly madly in love with Peeta, and he honestly with her. How could they explain? Did they have to? Then you have the rest of District 12… Its not like you could hide this from everyone. Still, how could they not. After they had exhausted themselves and generally made themselves feel as though they would never be able to go out in public again, they had retired to the backyard to lay out on a blanket and simply be together in the silence.

"Haymitch?" Katniss said quietly, barely more than a whisper. "Mmm?" He rumbled, head twitching toward her, eyes intent. "I'm scared." there, she had said it. She, Katniss Everdeen, the girl who isn't afraid of anything, had admitted to being scared. He rolled over onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow, brows knitted together and eyes concerned. "Of what?" His voice was low and soft, his eyes glinting in the light of the moon. "Of everything. Of what might happen to us" Her voice dropped, becoming no more than a faint whisper "To you" She looked at Haymitch with worried eyes. "I'm supposedly in love with Peeta, if I suddenly don't care about him, Everyone will stop believing that we weren't trying to break the rules." She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, staring at the ground as though imagining what Snow would do if he found out. "I" Said Haymitch "Will never let anything happen to you." His voice was low and restrained his anger at the Capitol for instilling this kind of fear in the hearts of such good people. Katniss chose to say no more, simply scooting closer to Haymitch and curling up, letting the heat coming off of his body wash her fears away.

Katniss had strange dreams that night. Full of fire. She could hear people screaming, felt them running past her. She saw Haymitch. Falling. Burning. Screaming. She heard her name, chanted like the drumbeats of war. She kept running, trying to find something, but what? Suddenly, the smoke vanished, leaving her in the center of her district, ravaged by fire. The homes were still smoldering, occasionally a feeble voice calling out for someone to save them. Then, a voice. A voice all too chilling and familiar. Snow's voice. "You see, Katniss?" It echoed through the sky, seeming to bounce off the wisps of smoke and the broken bodies, drawing her eyes to each in turn. "This is what happens. This will always be what happens. You caused this, you allowed this to happen." A prickle on the back of her neck, followed by a whoosh of warm breath. "Death" She whirled around, eyes wide and searching "Fire" It was behind her again, she turned and the voice came again almost instantly "Enjoy" She awoke screaming, alone in her room, tucked safely into her bed, and she slept no more that night.

**I really do appreciate everything you guys say! I love all of your ideas, critiques and awesomeness! **


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